Japanese Sweep Nobel Prize for Physics

[Charles]

Three Japanese scientists were awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics.

[Catoneinutica]

Well, Dr. Nambu is actually a naturalized American, having lived there since 1952, when he went to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

[Mike Oxlong]

That's right, Japan doesn't recognize dual citizenship, does it!

[Mulboyne]

[Charles]

[alicia454]

The Nobel Prize was well deserved for their impressive work in understanding CP-violation.

I am sure that if Dr. Nambu was to ask for Japanese citizenship, he would get it immediately. The Japanese government has offered install citizenship before to Olympic class athletes with even the smallest trace of Japanese ancestry in their blood.

[Charles]

The Nobel Prize was well deserved for their impressive work in understanding CP-violation.

I always wonder about how they assign the fractions of the prize.

[Mulboyne]

[Yokohammer]

The Mainichi has this headline in Japanese:
...
But, not wanting to offend anyone, has two headlines in English:

Anyone care to venture a guess as to which is "tatemae" and which is "honne"?

[Mulboyne]

[Behan]

An article said that he has had US citizenship since 1970.

[Charles]

The confusion is being openly discussed. Here's another Asahi headline:

"Is Nambu American or Japanese?"

Get ready for Round 2:

[Mulboyne]

Get ready for Round 2:

A number of reports, including the Asahi one above, indicate that Shimomura has retained Japanese citizenship. The Financial Times calls him "a Japanese citizen who has worked in the US for almost 50 years". If true, I wonder whether the Nobel committee uses his research base to decide his designation.

Here's something from AP:

Prime Minister Taro Aso celebrated Japan's haul of Nobel prizes Wednesday, saying he was "truly amazed" at the record number of laureates this year. Three Japanese scientists won the award this year along with one Japanese-born American..."Honestly, I'm truly amazed that we had four laureates in one year. It's incredible," Aso told reporters.

I'm sure the British would lay claim to a Briton who had taken US nationality but won a Nobel prize. The difference, of course, is that dual nationality laws might make that true. Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, took US citizenship in 1985 but was still knighted by the Queen in 1999 and is often described as Welsh or British in the UK press.

[canman]

I know that this is an important thing to recognize the Nobel prize winners, but when the markets were crashing and there are so many other important issues facing the world, for the Japanese media to spend so much time on this subject is a crime. I'm surprised nobody has made a kind of medal count like we use at the Olympics to show who has won more and how many Nobel awards they have. Mind you I guess that wouldn't look very good fro Japan would it.

[Charles]

..I'm surprised nobody has made a kind of medal count like we use at the Olympics to show who has won more and how many Nobel awards they have..

Of course they have. I don't know how current it is, but here's one (Warning: PDF).

US 270
UK 101
Germany 76
France 49
Sweden 30
Switzerland 22
Netherlands 15
Russia 14
Italy 14
Denmark 13
Japan 12
Austria 11
Canada 10
Spain 6
Australia 6
Ireland 5
Israel 5
Poland 5
South Africa 5
Argentina 5
India 4

While poking around I found a claim that the highest concentration of Nobel Laureates is at the University of Chicago, 76 of them total.

[Behan]

...
While poking around I found a claim that the highest concentration of Nobel Laureates is at the University of Chicago, 76 of them total.

You would think that some of that smartness would have rubbed off on Greji or Taro.

Just kidding.

[Greji]

You would think that some of that smartness would have rubbed off on Greji or Taro.

Just kidding.

Talk to Taro! I'm a Saluki.....We're just dumb jocks, animal house personified!

[GuyJean]

Fuck those toehead rapists from the Tundra!..

Nobel literature prize judge: American authors 'insular and ignorant'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3120602/Nobel-literature-prize-judge-American-authors-insular-and-ignorant.html

As the Swedish Academy enters final deliberations for this year's literature award, permanent secretary Horace Engdahl said that writers from the country that produced Philip Roth, John Updike, Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald were "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture," dragging down the quality of their work.

"Of course there is powerful literature in all big cultures, but you can't get away from the fact that Europe still is the centre of the literary world, not the United States," he said.

"The US is too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That ignorance is restraining."..

This coming from a descendant of those 'brilliant' Vikings.. Doesn't he know that only Americans can slander America?

GJ

[IkemenTommy]

Of course they have. I don't know how current it is, but here's one (Warning: PDF).

None for China.
As Takechamp would say, remember that!

[Mulboyne]

Nobel literature prize judge: American authors 'insular and ignorant'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3120602/Nobel-literature-prize-judge-American-authors-insular-and-ignorant.html

Count me among the ignorant. I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio before today. Of course, I'd never heard of those chemists and physicists either but I don't feel quite so ashamed about that which should probably fill me with shame.

[Charles]

Count me among the ignorant. I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio before today. Of course, I'd never heard of those chemists and physicists either but I don't feel quite so ashamed about that which should probably fill me with shame.

Nobody outside France ever heard of him. But I enjoyed his self-identification as mixed race:

Le Clezio described himself as ''born of a mix, like many people currently in Europe.'' He said while he was born in France, his father was British.

So he's both Anglo and Saxon!

[Mulboyne]

The Ministry of Education, which keeps a running total of Japan's Nobel prize winners, has concluded that Yoichiro Nambu cannot be included in their list. They also say that their record doesn't have any "official status" anyway. The Asahi report is here (Japanese).

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Masukawa concedes importance of English-speaking ability

Toshihide Masukawa, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics, delivered a speech in Japanese at the Nobel Lectures 2008 held in Stockholm on Monday, but later admitted the importance of English speaking ability. Masukawa, a professor at Kyoto Sangyo University, has previously said it is possible to study physics without being able to speak English, but conceded after the lecture: "It's probably better to be able to speak English." Apparently frustrated at being unable to communicate with other Nobel Prize-winners, Masukawa, 68, said ruefully: "As a scientist, I want to communicate with people around the world. I could have done that [in my lecture] if I was able to speak English." Kyoto University Prof. Taichi Kugo, 59, who translated Masukawa's speech into English and controlled the speed of the subtitles to harmonize with Masukawa's delivery, defended the Nobel laureate, saying: "Physics requires the ability to think creatively using mathematical formulas, so English isn't essential to pursue theoretical physics in Japan. "However, in terms of holding discussions with researchers overseas, it's better to be able to use English."

[Mike Oxlong]

Invention of blue LEDs receives physics Nobel
The 2014 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to a trio of scientists
in Japan and the US for the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura made the first blue LEDs in the early 1990s.

By combining blue light with existing red and green LEDs, this enabled a new generation of bright, energy-efficient white lamps.

The winners will share prize money of eight million kronor (£0.7m).

They were named at a press conference in Sweden, and join a prestigious list of 196 other Physics laureates recognised since 1901.

Prof Nakamura, who was woken up in Japan to receive the news, told the press conference, "It's unbelievable."

Making the announcement, the Nobel jury emphasised the usefulness of the invention, adding that the Nobel Prizes were established to recognise developments that delivered "the greatest benefit to mankind".

"These uses are what would make Alfred Nobel very happy," said Prof Olle Inganas, a member of the prize committee from Linkoping University...

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29518521

[dimwit]

This would be the Shuji Nakamura famous for being paid a pittance by a Nichia Corp for the discovery. Good on him.

[Russell]

This would be the Shuji Nakamura famous for being paid a pittance by a Nichia Corp for the discovery. Good on him.

I always wondered why Nakamura didn't get the Nobel prize for his work, but finally.

Well deserved!

I didn't know the other two, but it seems they also contributed significantly.

[Wage Slave]

This would be the Shuji Nakamura famous for being paid a pittance by a Nichia Corp for the discovery. Good on him.

I always wondered why Nakamura didn't get the Nobel prize for his work, but finally.

Well deserved!

I didn't know the other two, but it seems they also contributed significantly.

Agreed 100%. Good for him. One tiny little spoiler - I hear he is no longer Japanese as he now holds an American passport which if memory serves is a repeat of what happened the last time a Japanese scientist managed this achievement.

Surely this monogamous relationship with the Japanese state thing needs abolishing - it is no longer fit for purpose and nor does it befit a modern, confident nation ready to take its rightful place in the world.

[kurogane]

This would be the Shuji Nakamura famous for being paid a pittance by a Nichia Corp for the discovery. Good on him.

I always wondered why Nakamura didn't get the Nobel prize for his work, but finally..

Yeah, and let's not forget that riveting free kick he scored for Celtic in a big fixture several years back. And now a Nobel Prize. Truly a man of many talents, and deserving of praise.

[CrankyBastard]

Yeah, and let's not forget that riveting free kick he scored for Celtic in a big fixture several years back. And now a Nobel Prize. Truly a man of many talents, and deserving of praise.

Fanfuck'nTastic

[Mike Oxlong]

This would be the Shuji Nakamura famous for being paid a pittance by a Nichia Corp for the discovery. Good on him.

I always wondered why Nakamura didn't get the Nobel prize for his work, but finally.

Well deserved!

I didn't know the other two, but it seems they also contributed significantly.

Agreed 100%. Good for him. One tiny little spoiler - I hear he is no longer Japanese as he now holds an American passport which if memory serves is a repeat of what happened the last time a Japanese scientist managed this achievement.

Surely this monogamous relationship with the Japanese state thing needs abolishing - it is no longer fit for purpose and nor does it befit a modern, confident nation ready to take its rightful place in the world.

Nobel winner Nakamura was salaryman who took on bosses

Japan celebrated three more Nobel prizes Wednesday, including for a scientist remembered as the salaryman who stood up to a corporation—and won.

Shuji Nakamura was one of a trio recognized for their pioneering work in the creation of the blue LED, a development that paved the way for energy-efficient lighting.

Nakamura was employed at Nichia Corp when he carried out the research that led to his invention of the blue LED in 1993, with the patent registered under the company name.

His initial bonus from the company was only 20,000 yen, despite the huge financial gains for the firm.

Nakamura later sued his employer, demanding 20 billion yen, a record at that time in a Japanese patent trial.

In a landmark ruling in 2004, the Tokyo District Court ordered the company to pay the sum demanded by Nakamura.

“Engineers have long been ignored,” Nakamura said afterwards.

Nichia appealed, but settled on a payment of 844 million yen in 2005.

The case was widely watched for its potential to set a precedent for how Japanese companies treat inventors on their payroll, who generally get a pittance in exchange for sometimes revolutionary and hugely profitable inventions.

After the Nobel Prize was announced on Tuesday, Nakamura said he had been driven to great heights of scientific achievement by anger at the way he was always treated like an outsider.

Nakamura, currently a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, never lived in Tokyo and was not from an elite university or a giant well-known firm.

He once said students looked down on him when he was studying in the United States—where he had been sent by the company—as he did not have a PhD.

“My desire to get back at them led to the invention of the (blue) LED,” he earlier said, according to the Nikkei business daily.

The outspoken scientist, who is now an American citizen, was recognised along with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano.

Japanese media effusively welcomed news of the triple win, with newspapers issuing special editions and television stations flashing the news.

Headlines ranged from “Miracle of Blue, Crystalisation of Passion” in the usually sober Nikkei to “Passion Invites Revolution” in the mass circulation Asahi daily.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/nati ... -on-bosses